Increasing environmental awareness of contaminated commercial, private and government properties and their potential danger to on-site personnel and surrounding communities has resulted in development of various technologies to attempt to remove and safely dispose of toxic chemical contaminants present in the ground. Some of these technologies have proven to be somewhat applicable in limited situations.
One particular problem of interest relates to contamination of soils and ground water by liquid organic compounds which have been released into the ground over a period of time or were accidentally spilled in one or more isolated incidents. In either case, there is frequently a severe danger that the organic compounds will migrate into a water supply. This can result in direct contamination of ground water and adjacent fresh water wells or lateral migration into remote wells, surface water or wherein adjacent inhabited surface areas are directly exposed to toxic liquids. The presence and possible movement of these liquids in the ground may also present hazards to occupants of nearby buildings or future buildings to be constructed, or to construction and excavation workers.
Because of the acute toxic dangers presented by these contaminants, it is frequently imperative that the contaminants be promptly, efficiently and effectively removed. However, many constraints often inhibit or prevent removal. For example, if the contaminant has progressed downwardly to a point where excavation of the soils is impossible, the soil and ground water must be decontaminated in situ. This restriction eliminates many existing decontamination technologies.